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couldn't you just write a note on your website stating that you "use the highest quality natural wood products that mother nature can provide to make your boards, as a result of using a natural product and the nature of a handmade piece there maybe some natural variances in color, grain and possible mineral staining that in no way adversely affects the board and adds to the over all character and visual appeal of a handmade artisinal product. Since all boards are individually handmade and not mass produced in a factory, no two boards will look exactly the same. You will be receiving a unique, one of a kind handmade heirloom. All photographs are representations only, if you would like a more uniform , flawless and mass produce board, this is not the product for you. Thank you and have a nice day."

I haven't lived the life I wanted, just the lives I needed too at the time.

couldn't you just write a note on your website stating that you "use the highest quality natural wood products that mother nature can provide to make your boards, as a result of using a natural product and the nature of a handmade piece there maybe some natural variances in color, grain and possible mineral staining that in no way adversely affects the board and adds to the over all character and visual appeal of a handmade artisinal product. Since all boards are individually handmade and not mass produced in a factory, no two boards will look exactly the same. You will be receiving a unique, one of a kind handmade heirloom. All photographs are representations only, if you would like a more uniform , flawless and mass produce board, this is not the product for you. Thank you and have a nice day."

I think there have been a lot of good points made in this thread and the topic of perceived 'defects' in a product made from natural materials such as wood is very subjective. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to convince a customer that their disappointment is unwarranted because the visual blemish is "naturally occurring." This difficulty is only made worse by the fact that the photos on David's website and the photos posted on KKF by many happy Boardsmith owners typically depict maple boards nearly free of significant mineral stains.

I too am a satisfied Boardsmith owner, having purchased (2) 14x20's in Maple and Mahogany. I received the 14x20 Maple first and was honestly taken aback by the mineral stains. In scouring the internet and KKF for pics when initially researching, I never once saw one of David's boards with so many 'natural discolorations' - therefore my expectation was that I was going to receive a relatively consistent board like all the other thrilled maple board owners had posted. I know some people like the organic look of discolorations - to each his own.

After a few e-mails back and forth with David and a phone call where he gladly took the time to explain how mineral stains form and the difficulty in identifying them prior to assembly and finishing, I felt more comfortable that they were in no way structural defects. The problem remained that I was still not thrilled with the aesthetics as I had ordered the board as a gift. While David was perfectly willing to work with me on a return or exchange, the hefty cost of shipping simply can not be ignored. The Mahogany board showed up the next day and it was an absolutely stunning piece with no stains. I then made the hard decision (selfishly) to gift the Mahogany board instead and keep the maple for myself. Needless to say, I love using the board and all lathered up in board butter it is still an impressive piece. And as I told David, now I have an excuse to buy another Mahogany board!

Boardsmith boards are beautifully-crafted and a joy to use. David is perfectly reasonable in his return policy but I would suggest (as others have) identifying boards with less-than-perfect aesthetics and labeling them as such and/or selling them at a slight discount to hopefully avoid some of these customer service headaches.

See, if I received that, it would have been a defect to me. On the grounds that I can't believe that a blemish free board, and this one, would sell at the same price. Especially if placed side by side in a retail store. And if they were placed side by side, Iimagine that customers would keep buying the blemish free ones and skipping over this one at the same price.

Buying online and sight unseen means you trust the retailer/craftsman to make that call for you.

Hence I also agree, that if a particular board turns out this way, a quick photo and explanation before the event is way better than after. No bad taste in anyone's mouth then.

Very interesting thread. I think it's great one to stick so a potential customer can peruse and educate him/herself. I am not where I stand and that's not because of anything.

1. I think we all agree that Dave's boards are some of the best we have ever used.
2. With that comes to cost, which we all understand and accept since it is some of the best custom made product and we mostly need 1-2 of them (compare to knives and many other expensive hobbies we have).

BUT

I think, having spent so much $, customer, especially one who does not know any better, has to know ahead of time what he/she is getting. One of the bigger issues would be family, who likely even more ignorant that customer him/herself. Try to explain a $200 investigatory which looks like this. Even if they accept verbally, he/she will always have doubts. That's where cognitive dissonance comes into play (buyers remorse). We all had that feeling of disgust and disappointment, which often makes one to stop using the product entirely.

Who is right? There is really no right and wrong answer. Dave is right, many people don't have to have a up to date communication, so if he sends a picture, it may sit there for a week waiting for a reply and then if person sees 1 blemish they may ask him to redo it.

Customer also should expect something and this thread is an example to what can happen. I suspect we have seen some of the worst examples here and on lighter woods they are way more pronounced than on darker.

Many of us would also agree (put me #1 in line) that returns or detects should be sold as is for clearance prices. If Dave were to explain what happened, show pictures and give his honest assessment, I think all those boards would easily sell.

I would not be a happy camper if I received a board like that and paid full price. Boards like this should be sold as seconds IMO. I can't imagine any one being pleased with that even if there is some CYA clause on a web site. My concern would be that those areas might fail pre-maturly. IIR there was an in depth report done by the US forestry service on mineral stains in Maple all being caused by some sort of fungus or damage to the timber. That should be easy to find with a quick Google search.
OTOH I think stains like Penacola Tiger posted on page 2 are minor and don't warrant any concern. Several defects down the center of the board are a real bummer IMO.